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Thursday, 29 December 2016

This year's pick for the final post has got to be the one, the only, the great and under-appreciated, Unwound. Though their influence in the world of post-hardcore and alternative rock is immense, they don't get nearly enough recognition as they deserve for doing so. Not to mention they're probably the only band to ever give Fugazi a run for their money as the greatest "post-hardcore" band of all time.

Unwound emerged out of Olympia, Washington in 1991 as a young three-piece band. They were clearly enamored with the flagship bands of American 80's alternative rock, including Sonic Youth, Big Black, The Wipers, Flipper, Minutemen, Mission of Burma, and many others. This is evident in the band's early work, which blends together dissonance and noise with hints of melody and technical prowess. Even early on, the band is an incredibly tight-knit unit that could knock out anything from 2-minute hardcore songs to 5+ minute noise opuses. They developed a distinctive sound involving angular, distorted guitar tones, dark, complex bass lines, and some powerhouse drumming. Along with contemporaries like Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, and The Jesus Lizard, Unwound would grow to become definitive not only of post-hardcore, but of 90's punk and indie rock as a whole.

They released a steady stream of phenomenal LP's on Kill Rock Stars throughout the decade, each one better than the next. At the turn of the century, two major things happened to Unwound. In 2002, they broke up after over a decade as band. This would be sad if they had not released their London Calling in 2001, which was the breath-taking Leaves Turn Inside You. This was the first album the band recorded themselves, which also happened to be in their newly-built studio. Though they were on their final leg as a band, they stretched it out long enough to perfect what ended up being their grande finale. And holy shit, what a finale it is. The band stretches their sound into long-winding epics, bringing in the sound of post-rock. Unwound continuously build tension through repeated rhythms, meticulously crafting sonic layers. They incorporate strings and synths into their material, which divide up the band's usual chaos with some ethereal moments. In addition, this is by far their most melodic output, from the unique, angular guitar riffs to some borderline catchy vocal moments. Leaves Turn Inside You is a one-of-a-kind album, and is a phenomenal demonstration of the band's prowess and innovation on display. It's a big undertaking at first, but with each further listen there are many sounds and layers to delve into. It's sort of like the Pet Sounds of post-hardcore, in terms of production, songwriting, and experimentation.

There aren't many bands I would say have an "essential" full discography, but Unwound are definitely one of them. Each album is a display of an incredible band continuing to progress and push their boundaries to new limits. Though they do have a single, clear "best" album, I cannot stress enough that the rest of their material is absolutely worth the listen. It's difficult to ever narrow it down to another "essential" album of theirs, since each has such distinct and awe-inspiring qualities. To cut it short, just download e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. You won't regret it. Enjoy, Happy New Year, and I'll see you guys in 2017.

On a quick little side note, their entire discography has been reissued by The Numero Group over the past few years, and included in a number of box sets. They all contain 3 LP's, with each containing two of their albums, and a third LP consisting of rarities and other material. They come in some very impressive packaging as well. In addition to the LP's, they've also released a 10-disc CD boxset spanning their entire career, which is also a very cool collection. You can find all of this over at Numero Group's website, which is here: http://www.numerogroup.com/artists/unwound

Friday, 23 December 2016

First of all, what Frank said. Second of all, 'tis the season of giving, and I just wanted to share some of my personal favourite Christmas albums with you guys, since I have gotten a few requests for recommendations. There's a few modern indie favourites, and a few essential classics. Some are best enjoyed alone fixing sandwiches with a few too many rum nogs, and others better suited for yuletide gatherings with friends and family. However you spend the holiday season, hopefully there's a soundtrack here for it. This will only be up for the next few days, so grab whatever you want now before it disappears into the abyss. Note: I decided to leave this up anyway, I just removed all the links to avoid any copyright issues. I left the Bright Eyes album, since it's already up on here and must be enjoyed at least once each month all year long, haha. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Thursday, 22 December 2016

Youth Of Today are a four-piece hardcore punk band from Danbury, Connecticut that were originally around from 1985 to 1990. Despite being from Connecticut, their impact was really felt in New York. Without a doubt, they're easily one of the most important and influential bands in hardcore history. They were integral in the original Youth Crew scene, as well as furthering straight edge to incorporate vegetarianism. They only released material in their original five-year run together, which included putting out classics like Break Down The Walls and We're Not In This Alone, which are both monumental records in hardcore punk.

In addition to the obvious influence Youth Of Today had, their members were also active in a ton of other burgeoning punk bands at the time, including Gorilla Biscuits, Side By Side, Project X, Judge, Shelter, CIV, and Quicksand, to name just a few. Youth Of Today have reunited numerous times since their original run. Like I said before, their only recorded material is from their first five years, though they still ended up being fairly active over the next few decades through tours and festivals and such. The first two reunions were one-off shows in 1994 and 1999, then a European tour in 2003. Since 2010, they've played shows fairly frequently each year, mostly making festival appearances. This year particularly, their classic line-up that recorded We're Not In This Alone has reunited. Enjoy.

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Here we are again, at the end of another year. Slightly off topic, but I am still astounded at the longevity of this blog. I definitely did not expect it to live this long when it started years ago, but I'm happy to keep it up and hope you're all still finding it of use. It's been a really good year for music; both with a ton of major releases and a slew of solid underground ones. There's no shortages of classics this year, so picking 50 was honestly tough.

Of course this isn't an objective "best of" list, despite the title. These are simply my personal favourite albums released this year. Please share yours with me too, I'm really curious to know what everyone's been listening to for the past 12 months. Thanks for another great year, and here's to a great 2017. Enjoy.

A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service

10

Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition

9

Car Seat Headrest - Teens Of Denial

8

Bon Iver - 22, A Million

7

The Dirty Nil - Higher Power

6

David Bowie - Blackstar

5

Nails - You Will Never Be One Of Us

4

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree

3

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

2

Kanye West - The Life Of Pablo

1

Brian Fallon - Painkillers
That wraps up my 50 favourite albums of 2016. Again, it's purely based on personal favourites (thus why #1 should come as no surprise to anyone aware of my fandom). Feel free to comment your own lists of favourites, and thanks again for a great year.

A Stubborn Reminder...

Please remember, not everything on here is supposed to be free. Enjoy to your heart's content, but if you can, please try and support these bands by purchasing records, going to shows, buying merch, anything if at all possible. Most of them could really use (and deserve) it.